Tehran's Grand Mosala sits on a 650,000 square-metre site, 450,000 of which will be a covered area when completed. One of its prayer halls spans 50,000 square metres, with ceilings 14 metres high. The mosque's dome will be 57 metres in diameter and will be crowned by a stylized arch spanning 130 metres. Neither of the famous Saudi Arabian mosques in Medina and Mecca, the holiest sites in Islam, are more than 400,000 square metres. Medina's covered space is only 100,000 square metres.
The Grand Mosala is the creation of architect Parvis Mo-ayed Ahd, 80, who divides his time between Paris and Tehran.
Construction began sixteen years ago.